Microplastics Aren't Just Found in Seafood Anymore. Here Are 9 Other Foods With More Microplastics Than You Think

A new study from the University of California, Los Angeles has discovered that there are microplastics in chewing gum. Both natural and synthetic gum releases microplastics into the mouth when chewed, according to a statement published in Chemistry for Life. Out of the 10 brands of chewing gum that were tested, all were found to contain microplastics. According to the statement, "[The lab] measured an average of 100 microplastics released per gram of gum, though some individual gum pieces released as many as 600 microplastics per gram." This isn't the first study of its kind. Microplastics have been under the microscope lately, especially considering it's estimated that people consume between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles yearly. That number goes up to 74,000 to 121,000 particles when you include those we breathe in. Microplastics have become such a big part of our lives that a new study found a plastic spoon's worth of tiny plastic shards in human brain tissue. That sounds ... Read full article.